Automatic fluid-pipe connection for railway-cars.



No. 774,088. I C PATENTED Nov.1,1904. D. R. LEIGHTON.

AUTOMATIC FLUID PIPE CONNECTION IOR RAILWAY CARS. APPLIGATION FILED PEB. 27. 1904.

No. 774,088. PATENTED NOV. l, 1904.

` D. R. LEIGHTON. AUTOMATIC FLUID PIPE CONNECTION FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 27, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET N0 MODEL.

.UNITED 'STATES Patented November 1, 1904.

'PATENT Orricn.

DoMiNicUs n. LEIGHTON,

OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF AUTOMATIC FLUID-i-PIPE CONNECTIONFOR RAILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 774,088, dated November l, 1904. Application filed February 27, 1904.. Serial No. 195,581.` (No modelo be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

So far as I know and can find I am the first to provide means carried by the car bufferbars to automatically couple the train airbrake pipes at the meeting faces of the buferbars in connecting the cars, and my invention resides in carrying' the coupling ends of the train fluid-pipes by the car buffer-bars, where` by the pipes are caused to be automatically connected at the meeting faces of the buffers.

The object of my invention is to avoid the separate automatic fiuid-pipe couplings arranged beneath the 'means for coupling the cars and to use the slidable platforms of the cars both as the buffers and themeans of automatically coupling the air-brake pipes, and

` for this purpose my invention comprehends provision whereby the fixed fluid train-pipes are flexibly connected with the slidable-platform buffer-bars, so that the movements of the buffer-bars under the bumping of the cars together will cause that part of the air-brake pipe carried with the buffer-bar to ex at its connection with the fixed part of the air-pipe.

vMy invention is complete with a single airbrake train-pipe; but the number of train- Vpipes may b e suited to the character of the car-as, for instance, a pipe for the air-brake, a pipe for the signal, and a pipe for steamheating. 1When a plurality of such pipes are Y used, the openings in the buifer-bar for the coupling ends of the pipes are arranged in vertical alinement. In such disposition a cast backing-plate for the bar is advantageous in affording a firm and convenient mounting for the flexible connection for the Huid car-pipes and for forming ducts or passages therein connecting the coupling ends of the trainpipes.

'constitutes my invention.

use it; but it will be understood that my invention is not limited to the precise form and details of construction herein illustrated and described, as various modifications and changes may be made without exceeding the scope of the claims in which my invention is set out.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows in top view the slidable platforms which constitute the buffer-bars in the positions they occupy when the cars are connected and how the automatic coupling of the ends of thel Huid-tube is effected through and by means of the platform buffer-bars as the feature which Fig. 2 is'a front view of the buffer-bar of the slidable platl form, showing the coupling ends of thehiiuidtubes opening at the face of the buffer-bar. Fig. 3 is a vertical section showing the slidableplatform buier-bars' as carrying the coupling ends of the fluid-tubes of the connected cars and the manner of effecting' the automatic coupling of the duid-tubes by their abutting open ends at the meeting faces of the platform buffer-bars. Fig. i shows an inner side View of a casting secured to the inner 8O side of the platform buifer-bar and within which ducts or passages are shown by dotted lines, with which the car fluid-pipes connect and which terminate in nippled openings at the meeting faces of the buifer-bars. Fig. 5 8 5 is a view of the under side of the slidableplatform buer-bar, showing the connection therewith of the fluid-tubes and the jointed connections of the latter with train-pipes. Fig. 6 shows in perspective the front face 90 of the slidable-platform buffer-bar and the nippled open ends of the fluid-tubes. Fig. 7 shows an inner side view of the slidable-platform buffer-bar and the casting to which the train fluid-tubes are connected and which open 9 5 at the front face of the buer-bar for the automatic coupling of the Huid-tubes. Fig. 8 shows a construction for lengthening the buffer-bar.

I have shown only so much of the frame of 10o a car as shows the relation thereto of the slidable butler platform-bar, which by my invention is made the means of supjgiorting and carrying the ends of the train fluid-tubes and of effecting' their automatic coupling at the meeting faces of the buffer-bars in the operation of connecting the cars.

In Fig. 3 is shown the stationary car-platform 1 and the longitudinal timbers of the car. The slidable platform 3 is carried by the buffer-har, which is suitably mounted to slide with the platform and is provided with any suitable arrangement and construction of stay-rods 5 and 6. each having a coil-spring 7, the function of which is to receive the concussion of the buffer-bar and to press the bars out to maintain the abutting' relation of the open ends 8 of the `fluid train-tubes at the meeting faces of the butler-bars when the cars are connected.

r1`he stay and guide rods are slidable in the cross-timbers 9, which connect the longitudinal timbers, and the springs 'T on these rods are so mounted as to yieldingly hold the slidable buffer-bar in its projected position and which when the cars are connected will force the meeting faces of the slidable-platform buffer-bars so close together as to maintain the open nippled ends 8 of the fluid-tubes in contact under pressure, and therefore automatically couple them in the coupling of the cars. This automatic coupling of the fluid train tubes or pipes is effected in the follow.- ing manner at the meeting faces of the platform buffer-bars and by means under the sole control of the car-buffers, as l will now describe: r1`he buffer-bar 4C, which carries the slidable platform 3, has openings in vertical alinement ata point about mediately of its length, into which openings are secured rubber nipples 8, which project slightly beyond the face of the bulfer-bar,with a circula-r projecting edge which receives the impact of like nipples carried by the buffer-bar of the car which is being connected. J1`he nipples being firmly seated and countersunh in the walls of the openings resist the compression f caused by the pressure of the automatic coupling of the fluid pipe or pipes, and when coupled the nipples are under constant spring' pressure and engagement.

At the inner side of the bulfer-bar .is secured a casting 11, having interior passages or ducts 1Q', which open at both its faces and register with the openings in the buffer-bar. The train fluid-tubes 13 are screwed or suitably coupled with the openings at the back or inner side of the casting, so that when the cars are connected the coupling of the fluidtubes is effected at the meeting' faces of the platform buffer-bars, and the connection of the train-tubes 14 is thereby rendered continuous through the train buffer-bars and their castings. As the nippled openings are in vertical alinement in the face of the buffercross-sill 2,which connects the ,1

l bar, and the lluid train-tubes 13 are arranged in a horizontal parallel group, the passages or ducts which connect the two upper nipg pled openings are curved or turned outward i over the lower passage or duct, so as to connect with the outside fluid-tubes at the base l of the casting, which for this purpose is enlarged, as shown by dotted lilies in Fig'. -1 and in full lines in Fig. 3, where the enlarged part of the casting is seen as joining the under edge l of the buffer-bar.

I prefer to construct the train-tube casting with the passages or ducts registering with y the openings in the buffer-bar; but obviously ,l the casting may b e formed with ni pples adapted to be inserted into the openings 1n the back i of the buffer-bar; but of whatever construcl tion, the joining of the casting and the joiningI of the rubber nipples with the bull'er-bar must be air-tight. In Figs. 1 and et the casting is seen as secured to the buffer-bar -by screw-bolts 15, suitably disposed.

As the buffer-bars are mounted to yield unhave shown in Fig. 5 means for flexibly joining the train-tubes, whereby they are caused to be flexed. the rear side l ,I der the buffer action in coupling' the cars, I

Short tubes 13, which connect f of the casting, areD jointedto j short tubes 16, which stand at right angles I and are jointed to the train-tubes 111, which l are fixed so that the short jointed sections 13 are free to flex with the movement of the car buffer-bar; but obviously other flexible connection may be used.

It will be understood that each end of the car is equipped with the slidable-platform bufferbar which is provided with the nipples or gaskets the construction of which adapts them to make free an;l automatic connection of the train fluid-tubes. The contacting faces of the nipples are preferably flat and when in contact under pressure render the joining airtight, with free communication between the fluid-tube systems of the connected cars, and while this connection is made by and through the train car-buffers without fastenings of the joined nipples or gaskets they are rendered separable by merely uncoupling the cars. I have shown three tubes, one of which may be for actuating the air-brakes, one for actuating the signal, and one for steam, and to insure the proper meeting of the flat ends of the buffer-bar nipples and to prevent any lateral movement one upon the other conical projections 17 are provided on the face of the l buffer-bars, which engage corresponding rel cesses 18, there being one or more such prol jections on one buffer-bar and acorresponding recess in the meeting face of the other bufferbar, and these will be arranged to suit those now in use. n j lt will be understood that 1n using the traini platform buffer-bars as the means for carrying the coupling ends and for effecting the automatic connection of the train fluid-tubes IOO IIO

I save the cost of equipping the cars with separate air-brake coupling mechanism mounted on the car-frame below the means for coupling the cars.

In Fig. 8 I have shown the short buler-bar provided with extension ends to increase its length to adapt the guide-cones to register outside the length of the regular short buerbar in using my invention with cars now in use.

l. In an automatic fluid-pipe connection for railway-cars, a slidable spring-pressed bufferbar forming a part of the car-platform and having' liXed thereto the coupling ends of the fluid-pipe connections at the meeting faces of thebufler-bars for automatic coupling through said buffer-bars.

2'. In an automatic fluid-pipe connection for railway-cars, a slidable and spring-pressed platform butfer-bar having an opening mediately of its length, a rubber nipple or gasket within said opening projecting from the face oi' the bar, a iiuid-pipe connected to the opening at the inner side of the bar and exible connections for said pipe with the xed fluidpipe of the car, for the purpose stated.

3. In an automatic fluid-pipe connection for railway-cars, slidable and spring-pressed platform buer-bars having eachan opening mediately of its length, aiuid-pipe connected to said opening at the inner side of the bufferbar, flexible connections for said pipe with the fixed fluid-pipe of the car and means whereby the said buffer-bar opening is caused .having a passage or to automatically eect a connection with the train Huid-pipe oi' the connected car.

4. In an automatic fluid-pipe connection for railway-cars a slidable spring-pressed platform buEer-bar having an opening mediately of its length, a rubber nipple or gasket within said opening projecting from the face of the bar, a casting on the inner side oi' the bar duct registering with the opening in the bar, a fluid-pipe connected to the passage or duct at the inner side of the casting, and flexible connections for said pipe with the Xed pipe of the car.

5. In an automatic fluid-pipe connection Jfor railway-cars, slidable spring-pressed platform buffer-bars each having an opening, the coupling ends of the train fluid-pipes carried in said openings and Aflexible connections for said pipe-coupling ends and the fixed carpipes.

6.v In an automatic fluid-pipe connection for railway-cars, a slidable spring-pressed platform buffer-bar carrying the coupling ends of the fluid-pipe connections at its front face for automatic coupling, the said pipe connections being in vertical alinement of said front Jace and in horizontal alinement at the rear or inner side of the buer-bar.

In testimony whereof Ihave signed my name to this specilication in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

DOMINICUS R. LEIGHTON. Witnesses:

` F. V. DANFORTH,

CLARENCE W. BRoNsoN. 

